


No End to What We Can Be

by whiteraven1606



Series: Three [4]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Culture Shock, Developing Relationship, Dreams and Nightmares, Dreamsharing, Multi, Past Child Abuse, Past Torture, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-OT3, Recovery, Rescue, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-14
Updated: 2016-01-14
Packaged: 2018-05-13 20:53:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5716717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiteraven1606/pseuds/whiteraven1606
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Poe and Finn should have had a discussion about the size of a Stormtrooper squad. Not that Poe would have gotten in less trouble if they had.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No End to What We Can Be

****

There was one thing about doing things when he was half-asleep that Poe both prided himself on and hated in equal measure. He could remember every moment of being conscious with perfect clarity until he decided to forget it. It was good for writing after mission reports or gathering intelligence, but it was hard on Poe when it came to getting tortured. It seemed he was having trouble forgetting that part.

He rubbed his hands over his face as he reviewed the day before in his head. "Gah."

BB-8 beeped happily from near his knees.

"Yes, I remember our coat thief woke up. We'll go see him in a few minutes. Let me die of embarrassment first."

BB-8 prodded him with a manipulator arm.

"Sorry." Poe levered himself into a sitting position. "I'll try not to mention my dying in the future." Poe stared at BB-8's lit torch for a moment before it occurred to him what it looked like. He gave BB-8 a thumbs up. "Where'd you learn that?"

BB-8 beeped happily while rolling towards Poe's small closet.

"Oh, really? No, we don't need to take the jacket. He's not getting out of Medical today, Buddy." Poe smiled as they fought over the newly patched jacket for several minutes before Poe convinced BB-8 that it could wait.

They headed for Medical. BB-8 broke away with a squeal and headed for the mess.

"Don't let Jess pick my food, Buddy!" Poe headed on into Medical and settled next to Finn's bed.

They'd put him on his stomach while they were checking how much damage he'd done to himself in the excitement the day before. 

Poe checked the date. Or, huh, two days ago. Great, no wonder he was starving. He yawned as a medical droid scanned him. "I'm fine."

It blipped a rude word at him and trundled off.

Poe thought about sticking his tongue out at it, but there was really no point, so he turned back to Finn. "Hey, there. Talked to Rey. Sounds like we've all been sharing dreamspace. She seems to think taking little-you through the blast door is kicking me awake, so next time I'll try something else. Maybe I can dream us up one of those big ship cannons. That might be useful."

Finn's fingers twitched.

Poe gently threaded his hand in Finn's. "You've been really brave, Finn. And, I know how hard it is to fake your way through something that terrifies you. So. Just...know you can talk to me, alright?"

Finn huffed. "You're loud."

Poe grinned wide and shifted closer, squeezing Finn's fingers. "Hi."

Finn cracked open one eye and closed it again right away. "Hi. Where's Rey?"

"We got the map completed and she went to find him."

"Hmm." Finn's hand tightened around Poe's. "I'm sorry."

"What for? Buddy, you did a really good job, okay? We're fine."

Finn shook his head a tiny amount. "No. I meant..." He slitted open his eyes and looked up at Poe. "I vaguely remember them cutting it off me to get at my wound."

"Oh, the jacket. BB-8 tried to make me bring it this morning, but I said it could wait. I got it patched up for you."

Finn frowned. "Patched? That's only for the pinholes in the grey water pipes. Which is only from poor cleaning, which will get someone in trouble. Always do the cleaning."

"What?" Poe shook his head. "Oh, no. Patched means something that's been repaired with a new piece of material, Finn. I'll bring the jacket by later and show you. Don't worry about it."

Finn tried to pull his hand loose. "Have to go do the cleaning."

Poe firmly pressed down on Finn's uninjured shoulder. "Stand down."

"What?" Finn frowned and blinked. "Poe?"

"Hey, Finn. How much pain are you in?"

Finn's face scrunched up in confusion. "What? Why's that important? Don't I need to report?"

Poe squeezed Finn's hand. "Report how much pain you are in."

"Uh, okay." Finn thought about it long enough Poe considered repeating the request. "I'm in pain?"

Poe sometimes wanted to smack himself in the head. "Okay. Between worse pain ever and no pain at all, where are you?"

Finn blinked a few times. "Oooh. A functional assessment. I'm...unfit to march a standard unit. Maybe...I could make half of one? I'm fit to fire all small firearm positions. I am in need of hydration, but I don't feel hunger so I can't report on that..."

"Stop, stop." Poe bit his lip and leaned in to rest his forehead on Finn's for a moment. "I'll get you some water. Hold on." He tried to extract his hand, but Finn wasn't letting go. "Finn."

"Please. I don't want to march."

Poe pulled a little more. "You aren't marching anywhere today, Finn. What's a standard unit anyway?"

"Seventy-five klicks."

"Seventy-five...With a _load_?"

"That's why it's called a standard unit." Finn frowned. "Why are you pulling on my hand?"

"I'm trying to get you to let go so I can get you some water."

"Oh." Finn blinked. "No marching?"

"No. No, marching. I promise. I'll be right back with water if you let my hand go."

"Hmm." Finn relaxed his hand as he muttered into his pillow, "I'd like no marching."

Poe fled out into the hallway and snagged a medic to get him a couple of water pouches for Finn. He leaned against the wall and took deep breathes while he waited. 

BB-8 rolled up followed by Pava holding food trays.

Poe pushed himself upright.

Pava frowned at him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just got smacked in the face with how Finn's been mistreated in the past. One of those for me?"

Pava held one of the trays out and waggled it just slightly. "Maybe. Smacked by what?"

Poe feinted kicking her in the shins and took the tray while she started to side step him. "What's a standard unit?"

Pava frowned at him. "I have no idea."

"I don't know what a load is yet, but a standard unit is how far a Stormtrooper can march with a load."

She pursed her lips. "Which is how far exactly?"

"Seventy-five klicks."

"Bantha fodder."

Poe just stared at her until she shook her head.

"That's...Wait. Why were you talking marching? He can't go anywhere yet."

"He was giving me a functional assessment." Poe leaned back against the wall and shoveled food into his mouth.

"A what?" Pava closed her eyes and shook her head a couple of times. "That's...No, no. Not thinking about it. I still have to go out and shoot them. Ugh." She blew out a breath. "How is he really?"

" _He_ can hear you."

They both turned towards Finn's room.

Poe swallowed. "Really?" He poked his head back in Finn's room and looked Finn over. "You know that means your hearing is above standard."

"I don't know why that matters." Finn turned his head slightly. "Why is a standard unit so fascinating?"

Poe traded his nearly empty tray for water pouches and moved back over to Finn's bed. "I'll explain it to you later."

"Everyone keeps saying that. Oooh, water!"

Poe popped the straw out on one of the pouches and held it so Finn could drink. As he watched his friend drink, Poe promised himself that the First Order was never going to get Finn. It might be a hollow promise, but he made it to himself anyway.

****

Poe made sure the medics gave Finn something for pain before he headed to see the General.

She glanced up from reports and waved him in. "How is he?"

"He thinks he could march half a standard unit if he was ordered to do so."

She frowned at him and pointed at a chair. "How far is that?"

Poe slumped in his seat. "Too far. With a load. I'm not sure if he really thinks he could get that far or if he's worried about what might happen if he said he couldn't do it."

"How far?"

Poe rubbed his face. "Standard unit is seventy-five klicks with a load."

The General sat back. "How much is a load?"

"Don't know that one yet."

"Hmm." She tapped her fingers on her desk. "We've weighed the loads on dead Stormtroopers before and that's...a lot to subject a person to." She frowned at him. "How'd he react when you told him he wasn't going to march anywhere?"

"I distracted him with water, but he did say he'd like no marching."

She nodded. "I'm sure." She folded her hands. "So?"

Poe sighed. "Yes, please, send me on a mission. I...need a break?"

"Do you need backup?"

Poe frowned down at his hands. "Yes, General."

"Good."

He looked up at her. "General?"

"I am usually happy when my pilots prove to me they aren't entirely kriffing flyboys eager to get themselves killed."

Poe straightened up. "I don't want to die."

"Good. See that you don't." She held out a report. "Here. Tell me how long it'll take to you get there and back in that transport we bought from Maz two years ago. We need to see if that system will work as a base."

Poe looked over the intel carefully. "Maybe five days? It'll depend on this astroid field and how much of it I can get scanned in a day."

"Hmm." She took back the report. "Who goes with you?"

Poe thought through his remaining pilots. He'd rather Pava, but she'd spend the whole time fussing at him. Snap was hell on a transports' engines and they'd probably end up needing repairs. Ello would...Poe frowned at himself. No, Ello had died at Starkiller Base. "Jessika Pava."

The General narrowed her eyes a him for a moment. "Alright. You leave tomorrow morning."

Poe started to stand up.

"Poe."

He sat back down. "Yes, General?"

"I'll make sure he's alright while you're gone. Please leave BB-8 here with him."

Poe nodded. "I was going to do that." He stood. "Thank you, General."

She huffed. "Just come back in as few pieces as possible, Commander."

He gave her his best smile. "I'll see what I can do, General."

She rolled her eyes and shoo'd him out.

****

Poe settled down on the cot against the wall in Finn's room. "I mean it, Buddy. You need to stay here for Finn."

BB-8 let out a sad bleep and the droid's dome drooped forward.

"Aww. Don't pout. I'll see if we can stop and get you a backup antenna on the way back, how about that?"

BB-8 did a quick circle before beeping a question.

"Yeah, standard patrol. Thanks, Buddy." Poe laid back and tried to settle. The medics had said they weren't letting up on the sedation until at least the second day Poe was going to be gone because Finn had ripped open part of his wound. He scrubbed a hand over his face and rolled onto his side to sleep.

He was really starting to hate the hybrid space hanger he started dreams in these days. This time though, Finn was already standing near the middle with a lightsaber un-lit in his hands. Poe wondered over. "Finn?"

Finn frowned as he turned his head. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Poe listened hard, but all he could hear was BB-8 rolling around near the forcefield and their combined breathing. "What do you hear?"

Finn shook his head and headed for one of the blast doors near the edge of the hanger. "Can you open the doors for me?"

"Sure, Buddy." Poe followed and hit controls to open the blast door. He blinked at the space on the other side with only the floor of a corridor spanning off into space.

Finn strode out onto the corridor floor, so Poe followed along, behind him BB-8 rolled fast to catch up to them.

They walked for what felt like forever, but any time Poe looked back the blast door didn't appear any further away. Eventually a new blast door floated along towards them.

Finn stopped in front of it. "This is dreaming?"

Poe tried the controls, but nothing happened. "Sometimes dreams are like this."

Finn knocked on the blast door and it clanged open as they both jumped slightly.

On the other side was a tiny Stormtrooper with an equally small blaster looking up at them. "Are you FN-2187?"

Finn swallowed. "Yes, I was. I'm Finn now."

The little helmet swiveled to look at Poe. "Who are you?"

Poe knelt down. "I'm Poe Dameron. I'm with the Resistance."

The blaster lowered and the little helmet turned back towards Finn. "I don't want to go to Phase Two. Can I run away with you? T-116 says you are just a myth, but the TIE pilot says you are definitely real and not a Stormtrooper anymore. I know this isn't a memory replay. I've never been contaminated by Resistance scum before."

Finn frowned. "Please don't call Poe scum. He's my friend. He's the best pilot the Resistance has."

Poe patted Finn on the shoulder. "It's alright, Finn." He pointed at the helmet. "Can that come off?"

It took a nod from Finn, but the helmet came off to reveal a tiny redheaded little girl. "What's a friend? Is it a good thing?"

Poe bit the inside of his cheek so he wouldn't smile at her. "It can be. When do you go to Phase Two?"

"Our Transition has been delayed until the end of this week. I think they're going to make the pilot that came from Starkiller Base be a Display first."

Finn frowned as he glanced at Poe before sitting down in front of the child-trooper. "What's your designation?"

"I'm KN-0103. Can I bring my squad with me?"

"Yes." Poe could see Finn wince slightly from the corner of his eye.

"Poe..."

Poe turned and shook his head at Finn. "They can all come if they want. I have no idea where she is in real space, but we'll do our best."

"Poe, you don't even know what Transition means."

He narrowed his eyes at Finn. "I'm pretty sure it has to do with why I've never heard consecutive numbers in any Stormtrooper squad." He wasn't about to say 'rathtar' in front of the kid if she didn't know that part yet.

Finn sighed and turned back towards the girl. "Do you know which Academy you're assigned to? I wasn't in the report line for KN units, so I don't know."

She looked from one to the other. "There's more than one?"

Poe scratched at the back of his neck. "Okay. How do we do this?"

Finn poked Poe in the ribs. "Is there a system on the way to or from your mission you'll be stopping in?" He turned back to the child-trooper. "Has the Death Notice come down for that pilot?"

KN-0103 shook her head. "Not yet. Why?"

Poe rattled off the system and planet he was planning on getting BB-8's parts at.

Finn nodded. "Alright. What makes you think the pilot is going to get a Notice?"

"He told T-116 that he saw you wielding a lightsaber. He was a TIE pilot, but they took his ship away when he got here and now he can only fly the food transport ship."

"That'll work." Finn knelt down next to Poe. "This may get you and your squad decommissioned and recycled for parts."

KN-0103's little chin rose. "I won't leave my squad behind."

Finn smiled. "Good." He outlined his plan to get them out as Poe memorized the little girl's face.

Poe could feel himself getting more heavy. "Finn, you'd better hurry."

Finn frowned. "Poe will need something to know it's you in the waking world. You're right that this isn't a memory replay."

She stared at them. "You aren't coming?"

"No, I was badly injured and I'm healing. I can't run right now, so I'd be a liability if I came along."

Her eyes grew wide. "You weren't decommissioned for not being able to function?"

Finn took her little hand from her blaster and put it in Poe's hand. "No. The Resistance doesn't do that. Tell Poe something he can ask you in the waking world."

Poe could feel them starting to get too heavy. He knew what that feeling meant. "That'll take too long. Just remember my X-Wing is a T-70 painted black, but my BB unit is white and orange, and I'm the one that named Finn. Got it?"

He could barely hear her as she repeated the details dutifully.

Finn squeezed his hands around her and Poe's hands. "You should wake up now, KN-0103. You have work to do."

Poe could feel them dragging back towards his hangar, he had lost BB-8 somewhere along the way. Wasn't that weird? He always had BB-8. Finn was coming along with him. "She's going to die."

Finn held onto Poe's hand. "Everyone dies, Poe. At least she'll have tried."

Poe nodded as they hit the blast door that had never moved. Oh, look there was BB-8 beeping at him as usual.

Poe smacked into the wall by the cot as he jerked awake. He blinked and blinked. "Why was he worried about her bringing the whole squad? There's like five to a squad most of the time. Ten tops." He sat up as BB-8 continued beeping at him. "No, I wasn't ignoring you. I had a weird dream."

BB-8 beeped and rolled into the edge of the cot.

"No, they aren't always weird; just lately." Poe checked the time. It was close to time to get up anyway. He patted Finn's uninjured shoulder and gathered up his packed flight bag. "Come on, Buddy. Let's go see if we can pawn a couple of cases of rations off the Quartermaster. I've a bad feeling I'm going to get yelled at later this week."

BB-8 rolled along behind him, beeping questions as they turned out of Finn's room.

"No, I can't tell you why I think that. It's a big maybe and I don't know for sure yet. Do you think the First Order is trying to breed Force-sensitive kids or do you think it's just a byproduct of stealing people's babies?"

****

Poe ignored Jessika Pava's sidelong looks as he stacked the three extra ration crates in the corner of their transport's inner bay.

"Dameron?"

He strapped them down. "What?"

She eyed the crates. "Why are we taking enough food for ten people with us?"

"I had a feeling."

She eyed him for another minute, but headed on to the cockpit. 

Pilots respected when another pilot had a feeling. It had saved people in the past. No one kidded or lied about having a feeling.

Poe leaned against the bay wall and breathed. He hadn't lied. He'd had a feeling of doom and gloom since leaving little KN-0103 in that dream. "She really needs a name." He shook his head and settled into the pilot's seat as Pava fired up their ship's systems.

They cleared the planet and put the ship to lightspeed.

Poe leaned back in his seat and eyed Pava eyeing him. "What, Jess?"

She sighed. "You've been acting weirder than normal. You know plurals are an allowed thing right?"

"What? Yes." Poe made a face at her. "Why are you suddenly so concerned about my love life?"

She grinned bright. "What love life? One of them is off on a wild-bantha chase and the other has a lightsaber wound up his back."

Poe stared at her. He blinked and stared some more until she started laughing and pointing at him. "You have to be kidding me."

She shook her head as she bit her lips. "No? You have it so bad for them both. Even C-3PO noticed."

Poe turned to stare at the streaks of lightspeed going by. "Noooo."

"Oh, you really...Seriously? I figured you were at least flirting with the girl, sorry, _woman_ , on purpose."

Poe covered his face with his hands. "Ugh. I hate you."

Pava smacked him on the shoulder. "Just think how much cradle robbing you're doing, Black Leader."

Poe dropped his hands and shook his head. "I don't think you want to use that term for them. Neither of us are that much older than either of them. Also, we might be robbing someone else's cradle."

"What?" She squinted at him and then turned to look back at the door to the cargo bay. "The General didn't mention anything."

"Jess, I solemnly promise to take all the yelling if it happens."

She made a hopeful face at him. "It might not happen?"

"Uhm. Will you hit me less if I say 'maybe'?"

"Ugh. I hate you."

****

Poe put up with the ranting and the ribbing. He did sort of deserve it, but he wasn't completely certain the dream had been a dreamshare and then there was the problem of having no idea where the escapees might be in relation to the stop over system Poe had named.

They scanned the target system, talked to the few local miners, scanned some more, and finally headed out towards the stop over.

"I think it'll work as a base for us."

Poe nodded in agreement as they tracked to land in their assigned berth as the local authority scrolled the local warrants, major rules, and permissions on their screen. He left that to Pava until he got them down.

"Poe."

He swung them around a few degrees to make their parking more neat. "Yeah?"

"There's a story about a gang hitching in by a supply freighter with miniature blasters and looking like tiny Stormtroopers."

"Huh. Weird." Poe got them settled and replayed what Pava had said. "Wait, what?"

She scrolled the news back to the story and showed him. "See?"

He watched the short loop of footage of a huddled group of tiny figures scurrying out of a freighter's maintenance hatch. "We could take them, Jess. I don't see any that come up to our shoulders."

Pava rolled her eyes. "Stupid flyboy." She slapped him on the shoulder. "Let's get that antenna BB-8 told me you were going to look for and some tea for the General so she won't kill us when you finally get around to telling me what you really brought extra rations for."

"Yeah." He replayed the footage on slow and tried to count little heads. "I'll be right there."

****

Poe kept an eye out for red hair as they walked through the market. He didn't even protest as Pava piled packages on him. They had a list from what seemed like half the base. He finally found an old droid for hire and sent the first load back to their ship.

It was nearing sundown and almost time to decide if they were renewing the parking permit for the night or leaving when Poe spotted her.

Little Stormtrooper blacks and the tiniest standard issue boots Poe had ever seen. He watched her little mouth drop open when she caught sight of him.

Poe turned and caught Pava's elbow. "Jess."

She hummed. "We can go in another minute. I think I saw a part for Snap in this bin."

"Okay." He patted her shoulder. "I'll be right back."

Pava waved her hand absently over her shoulder at him as Poe moved away.

KN-0103 disappeared around a corner and Poe had a moment's thought about an ambush, but he shoved it away and turned the corner into a dingy alley with the tiny trooper half-hidden near a basement entrance.

"KN-0103?"

She let out a squeak and stared up at him. "It wasn't a memory replay."

Poe crouched down. "No. What did I ask you to remember?"

She licked her lips and rattled off all the details he'd given her. "And FN-2187 was in a non-regulation jacket."

"Yeah, Finn was in a jacket I gave him. You were seen sneaking off the ship you got here on, so we're going to have to be careful about getting you onto my ship. How many of your squad came?"

She ducked through the basement door. "All of us, plus the pilot, but he's injured and he's insisting you'll decommission him for recycling, but Finn said the Resistance said you wouldn't, so I didn't allow it."

Poe followed her down the narrow stairway. "No, we wouldn't decommission him for being injured."

They turned the corner at the bottom of the staircase and Poe was met with a veritable sea of little faces. Bits of tiny Stormtrooper armor was everywhere and they were all dressed in Stormtrooper blacks. The pilot stood out by sheer size, well, and the blood.

Poe ignored how they scattered in front of him as he hurried to the pilot. "Where are you hit?"

He stared up at Poe. "Left side mid-lung." He blinked blearily at Poe. "You're real."

"Yeah, I'm real." Poe nodded as he looked over the pressure bandages that had been applied and then around at the kids. There were way more than a squad...Poe closed his eyes. He was going to have words with Finn about what constituted a squad at different times in a Stormtrooper's life. He started counting heads. "Okay. This is...doable. We're going to have to squeeze to get everyone on my ship, but we'll do it. Okay?"

They all nodded in unison.

Poe tried really hard not to find it creepy. "We'll trade introductions later." He pointed at KN-0103. "You saw the lady I was talking to?"

She nodded.

"Go up and find her. Tell her Poe says we're going to have another Ello if she doesn't get the ship prepped to fly."

"Ello?"

"Yes, it'll make sense to her."

"Oh, coded messages. Of course." She stared for the stairs.

"Don't get seen by the droids with the uniforms!"

"They chase you. I figured that one out." She flashed him a smile and disappeared up the stairs.

Poe sighed and prodded the pilot's bandages, but they felt like they'd hold until they could get back to base. "Okay. Is everyone good with the idea they're about to become Resistance fighters with Finn, formerly FN-2187?"

They all nodded at him again.

It wasn't getting any less creepy. Poe nodded back at them and hauled the pilot up. "Everyone back into their armor. Someone grab KN-0103's armor." He leaned the pilot against him and muttered into the man's ear. "Tracking on anything?"

The pilot shook his head. "They're too young for long range comms and no one has ever escaped as a child before." He pulled a device from his pocket. "Also, I stole one of the detectors after KN-0103 said she was kidnapping me and we checked everything over when we ditched the supply shuttle."

"Good man." Poe started for the stairs. "I need a volunteer."

All their little hands went up.

Poe blow out a breath. "Right. Okay. The one closest to me. I need to you take this and go find a droid that's old and looks like it's about to be decommissioned. Offer it this and tell it you want it to bring three large empty transport boxes to this alley. Got it?" Poe held out one of his bigger credit chips.

The trooper nodded and frowned down at the helmet in his hand. "Armor, sir?"

Poe nodded. "Good suggestion. Hand it off to someone. Same thing about the uniform droids I told KN, okay?"

The boy nodded and shed armor faster than Poe knew was possible, before disappearing up the stairs.

Poe hauled the pilot up the stairs with the help of too many little hands.

It was turning dark as they got the pilot out into the alley. The boy trooper and a droid so old Poe wasn't even sure how it was still moving were just arriving with the transport boxes. He opened the side of the first one.

"Everyone divide up and get in. You need to be quiet because we're leaving the vents open for airflow."

They moved fluidly as a unit and there was no fighting or shoving as they split themselves between the boxes.

Poe checked the alley didn't have extra eyes anywhere as he eased the pilot into the hands of the kids in the first box. He turned to the droid. "Want a new job?"

The droid shuffled its feet. "This unit is to report to junking at end of shift."

"Okay. When is end of shift?"

"End of shift was three cycles ago."

Poe really wanted to hit his head on a wall. "Great. You just got a reprieve from junking. Come on."

There were eyes all around the ship parking and Poe was going to end up getting yelled at by Pava and the General was going to skin him. Or worse she'd blow up his X-wing. Poe watched for patrol droids as he kept a slow even pace with the droid hauling the travel crates towards the ship.

"Stop. Inspection."

Poe mentally cursed and turned towards the approaching customs enforcement droid. "Is there a problem? We were inspected at the waystation."

"Papers."

Poe started patting down his pockets as he tried to gauge if the kids could pull the pilot across the field to the ship before backup could arrive for the patrol droid. He started to open his mouth to yell for them to go when a datachip appeared in his line of vision.

He blinked at the ancient droid holding the datachip out to him for a bare moment. "Ah, thank you. I forgotten I'd handed it to you." He took the chip and plugged it into the patrol droid. Out of the corner of his eye, Poe could see the old droid start for the ship at his ancient top speed.

Poe started slowly backing away as suddenly the patrol droid shuddered and dropped to the ground. "Kriff." He turned and hit the releases on the boxes. "Out, out, out."

They piled out as Poe took the pilot into his arms and ran for the ship. He could hear the droid squawking indignantly as the kids picked him up to bring him along.

KN-0103 appeared in the bay's open door. "The mad lady says hurry up!"

"I bet she does." Poe skidded onto the ramp and let the sea of little armored bodies carry him forward. "You'd better be counting heads because we don't have time to recount!"

The pilot huffed a short painful sounding laugh as Poe strapped him into the extra crew seat next to the cockpit. He danced around several of the kids to get to the co-pilot's seat.

"You should be letting me drive."

"You are a son of a bantha. I swear, Dameron." She leaned out of her seat to yell back through the ship. "Tell me we're all in!"

Poe watched the board for the hatch to show closed. "Hurry up!"

"We're in!"

The board went green and Poe punched their engines.

"Kriffing flyboys." Pava steered as Poe managed their shields and power levels. "Simple recon mission, the General said. Just watch out for Poe, I worry, the General says. Why do we have tiny Stormtroopers, Black Leader? Why!?"

The pilot leaned around the corner to eye him. "You're Black Leader? You're amazing in combat."

Poe punched their shields to maximum as the local authority demanded they land. "Jess, faster." He turned his head. "Thanks, you'll have to show me which TIE you were in the Battle of Starkiller Base. We have some vids."

Pava snarled.

Poe couldn't resist patting her on the head. He was so dead anyway. "I told you we might be robbing someone's cradle, Jess."

"I hate you so much." Pava yanked them clear of the atmosphere and they started outdistancing their pursuers. "We're in so much trouble."

"She'll melt when she sees them."

"Blasters, Poe. They all have tiny blasters."

"It'd be pointless to train with a non-functioning weapon."

She snarled louder as she throw them to lightspeed.

Poe laughed and gave KN-0103 a thumbs up. She looked bewildered, but copied him carefully. Poe wondered where Finn had learned it to be able to teach BB-8. "We got everyone, right?"

She nodded. "Yes. KN-0107 says the old droid is saying we're over capacity limit for beings for this transport."

Poe smiled. "Yeah, but that's fine. We'll be landing before you even have time to eat the rations in the far corner. And then you can meet Finn in person, if he's awake."

There was a chittering ripple through the kids at that.

KN-0103 looked at the pilot breathing heavily in the crew seat. "You didn't decommission him."

Poe watched Pava's hands tighten on the controls out of the corner of his eye. "No, I didn't."

"Even though the other pilot was mad she still started the ship's pre-flight checks. She used prohibited words quietly the whole time, but she didn't leave us behind. Why?"

Poe bit the inside of his cheek as Pava blushed a little. "She's mad at me, not at all of you. She helped because it was the right thing to do." He turned in his seat to face the little troopers more squarely. "Finn defected because he didn't want to kill for the First Order. KN-0103 brought this squad with her because she didn't want you all to face rathtars."

"Rathtars!" Pava turned towards him. "They make them..." She turned back towards the controls. "Okay, I'm no longer deciding how to kill you. My anger has downgraded to you owing me a bantha load of good quality liquor."

Poe patted her shoulder. "Done, Jess."

Their console beeped with an incoming call.

"It doesn't get you out of telling the General."

Poe grimaced, but nodded all the same. "I'm blaming at least a third of it on Finn."

Pava snorted as Poe took the call on a headset.

****

Medical was waiting when they popped the hatch. Poe made sure he was out front in case someone freaked out at the tiny Stormtroopers, but the medics' eyes were only for the pilot. They whisked him away in all their medical efficiency leaving Poe facing the General with her hands on her hips and one tapping toe.

He ushered kids forward. "Their blasters all work."

She glared at him. "You are not helping yourself."

Poe spread his hands. "We saved them from rathtars."

The glare softened a little around the edges. "Finn's dream."

Poe nodded. "From what I gather they hit a height and are transitioned into Phase Two by way of a rathtar chasing them to a blast door."

The General looked over the little sea of kids all the same height. "Commander Poe Dameron, if you ever attempt to rescue a group this big again without the proper back up I will ground you for eternity."

Poe winced. "I didn't actually know there'd be so many. I was told a squad. I figured what we usually see in adult Stormtrooper squads." He spread his arms. "Oops?"

She sighed. "If they don't already have names they want to use, you are suggesting names until they are all happy. Understood?"

"Yes, General."

KN-0103 stared at the General from around Poe's side. "You're a General?"

Poe held out his hand for the girl to take. "She's a General. Her name is Leia Organa. She's also a Princess."

The General scoffed. "Don't start that again. I have enough trouble getting C-3PO to not use the old title."

"Well, technically, as long as there are Alderaan beings still alive, you're still a Princess."

She huffed. "I'm contemplating blowing up your X-Wing, Poe."

He smiled wide. "I know." He turned his head to look over the kids. "Who wants to eat and who wants to meet Finn? We have to split into shifts because Finn's room isn't big enough for everybody." He turned back as BB-8 came rolling up. "Hey, Buddy!"

BB-8 beeped at him as it looked over all the kids before rolling back a little and beeping faster.

"No, no, it's fine. They're like Finn. What were you saying about Finn's back?"

BB-8 rolled closer, but kept near the General's feet and beeped some more.

Poe nodded. "That's not that bad, Buddy. Human's leak from their wounds sometimes." He looked at the General.

She shrugged. "Where he reopened it when he first woke. He's healing. Stubborn about pain levels, but fine."

"Ah." Poe tugged on KN-0103's hand lightly. "Your squad, kid. Who's eating and who's seeing Finn?" He moved to stand next to the General as KN-0103 split up the kids.

"You are in so much trouble."

Poe leaned closer. "They can hear you."

She sighed. "We'll discuss it later."

"Yes, General." He patted BB-8 on the head. "We need to ask the pilot if he can pinpoint the training base's system."

"Hmm." She huffed as she dropped her hands from her hips. "I don't think we have enough pillows."

"General, I'm not sure they know what a pillow is. Finn looked at his funny."

She took a series of controlled breaths. "So much trouble, Commander."

Poe grinned. "Yes, ma'am."

She smacked him on the back of his head.

****

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going somewhere with this, I promise. 
> 
> I'm making up a lot of Stormtrooper training and culture along the way. Rey gets back soon and then the OT3 will become more of a thing. I'm open to suggestions on the kids' names. I have KN-0103 and KN-0107 (the boy who went out second) figured out, but Star Wars naming conventions are intimidating when you can't spell.


End file.
